Day Dreams ~[Sequel to 'Nightmares']~

~ Chapter 17: Paying Respect ~

           A little over half the day passed as you continued to rest up. A blanket wrapped around you and Grimm as you both sat near the front of the caravan where Divine and Brumm led the way. You slept soundly for a while as Grimm read to himself and you could never be happier. Wrapped in a blanket, close to Grimm as you both just enjoyed one another's company in silence. It was a feeling you wanted for a long, maybe even longer when you thought of it. A desire spawned from the books you read that now you were able to live.

Your rest came to an end as the caravan came to a halt and Grimm shifted from his spot to stand. This made you come to and you were met with Grimm's kind eyes looking down at you.

"Sorry to wake you. We're stopping for a bit so the steeds can regain energy. Need to stretch your legs at all?" He held a hand out to you which you took as you let out a small yawn. As you stood to your feet a cold gust of wind came through and made you shudder.

"Why is it so chilly?" You mumbled as you rubbed your bare arms from the cold. Grimm and you exited the caravan and he replied simply,

"We're close to the top of Hallownest, it easily gets affected by the weather changes beyond the kingdom itself." The look in his eyes held excitement and joy as you wandered a bit farther from the caravan and from Divine's eyes as she stayed to keep an eye on the caravan with Brumm. When you two had both gotten a decent bit away, Grimm wrapped part of his cloak around your shoulders to keep you warm. It was a kind and sweet gesture that made the two of you smile at one another. Even though Divine must have known about you and Grimm becoming closer, he probably saw it best to keep the personal interactions you had to just you and him. He then began leading you away to a different path, with confidence he was going to show you something and you silently just agreed. It intrigued you how well Grimm knew where he was going and not before long, you had reached a chain that led up, and as you looked up a gentle gust of cold wind swept down from above.

"What is up there?" You found yourself asking as you pulled yourself closer to Grimm to remain warm inside his cloak. He didn't hesitate to wrap you up a bit more after this action.

"Up there is Dirtmouth." He said as he looked down at you. The name Dirtmouth came to you as familiar as you then realized its purpose.

"Dirtmouth, wasn't that your home?"

"It is..." Grimm then looked up the chain and placed on hand on it, but not before taking off his cloak for you to wrap around yourself to remain warm. "Want to head up and check it out with me? It has been years since I have seen the town." He asked. Before you could even answer, the warm eyed young man began climbing up the chain with no problems.

"H-hey!" you called after him, though as a wider smile graced your lips, you couldn't help but follow him up the chain. You almost fell back down once or twice, though with a bit of determination and knowing Grimm wasn't slowing down any time soon you reached the top. He helped to pull you from the well and his eyes instantly trained onto the small town you knew from your first day in Hallownest. After seeing what lay beyond this town, you noticed how it was like a mixture of the City of Tears and the Crossroads town. How the number of people was enough to fill the town, but not make it feel overcrowded. It was the perfect balance of life, enough for someone to live a calm life.